K.C. Colwell is Executive Editor at Car and Driver magazine with 87 recorded laps across 87 vehicles on LapMeta—perfect one-to-one ratio characteristic of professional automotive journalism systematic testing protocols. Colwell's automotive journalism career began when his grandmother gifted him a Car and Driver subscription for his 10th birthday. He joined Car and Driver as technical assistant in fall 2004, promoted to assistant technical editor in 2007, served as testing director from 2017-2022, then promoted to executive editor leading the brand to become one of America's top automotive magazines.
His LapMeta data shows all 87 laps concentrated at Grand West Course—Virginia International Raceway's configuration used for Car and Driver's annual Lightning Lap track test. Remarkably, K.C. set the production-car lap record at VIR for Lightning Lap and was just the sixth person to drive the Hendrick Motorsport Garage 56 Camaro—the NASCAR-based Le Mans prototype that competed at 24 Hours of Le Mans 2023. The 87-vehicle portfolio represents comprehensive automotive exposure spanning performance cars, supercars, and exotic machinery evaluated through standardized Lightning Lap testing methodology. His professional expertise combines technical knowledge with high-performance driving competency, conducting objective vehicle evaluations informing millions of readers. With 87 laps across 87 vehicles all at VIR Grand West Course, K.C. Colwell exemplifies the professional automotive journalist who sets lap records while systematically testing the industry's most significant performance vehicles.
See Car and Driver’s Lightning Lap 2023 feature and all the lap times here: https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a42387169/lightning-lap-2023/
K.C. Colwell and Carlos Lago talk about K.C.'s experience driving at this year's Lighting Lap. This year, K.C. set the lap times for the 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL63, 2022 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS, and 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06. He also decided to run a 2022 Kia Carnival with six occupants.
Read more:
2022 Mercedes-AMG SL63: https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a42387134/2022-mercedes-amg-sl63-lightning-lap-2023/
2023 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS: https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a42736219/2022-porsche-718-cayman-gt4-rs-lightning-lap-2023/
2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06: https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a42387101/2023-chevrolet-corvette-z06-lightning-lap-2023/
2022 Kia Carnival: https://www.caranddriver.com/features/a42386881/2022-kia-carnival-lightning-lap-2023/
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00:00 Intro
00:39 2022 Mercedes-AMG SL63
04:23 2023 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS
08:01 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06
12:02 2022 Kia Carnival (yes, really)